11 December 2013

Windows 8 is a Big Loser

As reported in multiple sources (see story below), Windows 7 is still growing much faster than Win8.x (Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 combined), and at the same time in the life cycle of both OS, Win7 clearly shows Windows 8 is a big #FAIL. Even worse, the bulk of the desktop OS (see chart above) that Microsoft has, is mostly on either Windows 7 or Windows XP. Many of those users have already REJECTED moving to Windows 8, and will in the next few years go to computers, tablets, and even smartphones, on operating systems made by Google (Chrome OS, Android), Apple (iOS, OS X Mavericks), and even Linux. Why did Windows 8 fail on desktop and notebook computers? See story below --The stats don't lie: Windows 8.1 seriously underperforming compared to Windows 7: "Following Windows market share on NetApplications, as I do every month, it’s clear to me that Windows 8.x isn’t the hit Microsoft hoped for. There are several reasons for this, all of which I’ve discussed previously -- dwindling PC sales, users dislike of touch and the Modern UI, and so on. Last month Windows 7’s growth outpaced that of Windows 8.x by four fold, and it’s not the first time the older OS has proven the more popular choice either. It’s becoming something of a regular occurrence. Adoption of the tiled OS is slow, very slow. Especially compared with the strong pick up Windows 7 enjoyed from the start."

Tech giants call on president and Congress to rein in Internet spy programs - SiliconValley.com: "In an unusual joint statement, leading Internet companies called Monday for new legal restrictions on government spy programs that the companies view as an increasing threat both to their customers' privacy and their own business interests. "The U.S. government should take this opportunity to lead this reform effort and make things right," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement that accompanied an open letter to the president and Congress. The letter was also endorsed by top executives at Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and other Internet giants who are usually fierce competitors...."Microsoft: We goofed on that Windows 7 end-of-sales dateZDNetSummary: Microsoft officials are now saying the end-of-sales date for PCs preinstalled with Windows 7 is 'to be determined,' rather than October 30, 2014. By Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft | December 10, 2013...

USA TODAYSAN FRANCISCO -- Google's voice-based search service, Google Now, has improved enough in the past year to rival Apple's Siri, although both technologies still need work, according to test results released Tuesday. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper ...

10 New Android and iOS Apps Get Chromecast Support: 10 new apps on iOS and Android have gained support for Chromecast streaming today. They are a mix of audio and video apps that pull content from various online sources, and also a few that can stream your personal files....